Moog Music’s illustrious Model 10 modular synthesizer, developed by Dr. Bob Moog and initially released in 1971, is now back in production and available to order worldwide. This exciting reinstatement sees a faithful recreation of the first modular synth created by the man himself, Dr. Bob Moog, back in 1971. The details are absolute, even down to the same hand-soldered electronic circuits seen throughout the synth. 

Moog Music has announced that one of its beloved legacy instruments is officially back in production at the Moog factory in Asheville, North Carolina. This re-issue of the Model 10 modular synthesizer instrument follows a limited-time production run in 2019 that helped enliven the large-format modular space and introduce these systems to a whole new generation of synthesists.

Today’s Model 10 is a faithful recreation of the first compact modular synthesizer model created by Dr. Bob Moog in 1971, all the way down to its hand-soldered electronic circuits. The fully analog instrument is made up of 11 discrete analog modules, including the 907 Fixed Filter Bank, revered for its vast sound shaping and timbral possibilities, and three 900 Series oscillators, the foundational sound behind works like Wendy Carlos’s Switched-On Bach and Isao Tomita’s Snowflakes Are Dancing.

The predecessor to the Model 15, the Model 10 design focuses on purity of sound, speed, and simplicity while providing the enormous sonic depth and dimension found only in a vintage Moog modular synthesizer.

The individual modules that make up each new Model 10 are engineered and manufactured just as they were over 50 years ago, using traditional wiring methods. Each module is then tested, finished with an aluminum panel, and placed into a custom cabinet before the instrument leaves for its new home.

Each system is built to order and now includes a host of updates that allow this machine to be more easily integrated into modern studios across the globe.

• An updated, onboard power supply now supports a broader range of selectable voltages including 100v, 120v, 220v, and 240v. For users outside the US, this allows you to power your synthesizer without the need for an external step up/down transformer.
• The system’s redesigned rear panel accommodates an updated main power switch, power lamp, power inlet, grounding lug, and voltage selector switch.
• Model 10 now has improved calibration and tuning reliability, with this current production model holding tighter calibrations with little variance.

The instrument and its contents are packaged with care in preparation for transit anywhere in the world. Model 10 is also internationally recognized as emission, radiation, and safety compliant.

The reissue of the Moog Model 10 is now shipping to trusted Moog dealers and distributors within the US and internationally.

More information: Moog Music

The Moog modular story

During the 1960s, Dr. Robert A. Moog developed his modern synthesizer concept with input from over 100 electroacoustic music composers. Electronic music up to that point was being produced through a haphazard collection of techniques called the “classical studio,” which utilized sound generators such as surplus telecommunications gear, radio components, tape recorders, and the like. Moog and his musician collaborators worked to streamline the classical studio technique into an organized system of standardized sound modules.

The synthesizer concept takes shape

Bob Moog began taking orders for individual modules and customized modular systems in 1965, and by ’67, he and a small team of skilled technicians were handcrafting production models in a modest brick storefront in Trumansburg, NY. The “synthesizer” had evolved from a makeshift collection of spare parts into a real musical instrument — one that would be adopted by a generation of progressive rock and jazz keyboardists launching into a new world of musical expression. At the new factory, weeks of precision handcrafting went into each synth system, but it was worth it: the Moog team had created an entirely new musical instrument — one that would change the music landscape forever.